You can shot between swings, and Defensive Bash counters Quick Attack and Strong Attack in the wind up (and itself) bailing up the Melee target while their shot between swings or from 10 other angles at once (all of which are shooting 5.55 rounds per second, all of which can down you in less than 1 second) There is no down side to this scenario, Ranged wins every time from Range all the way up to close combat. Melee has no advantage, the mechanic is just done. No amount of experience, (and I think I know what I'm talking about, now closing on on close to 1800 hours spent in EC, the majority being in Melee) can save you from this bollocks unless you simply roll Ranged. That should not be the solution. Melee should have a fair chance. Currently they don't. So blaming 'skill' for a problem that is clearly balance related is a cop out. No mater which way you swing it, all Ranged has to do is hold LMB down and stuff dies. that's all! its as simple as that! Ranged is OP and has no sign of being brought in to line, hence the community unrest. Fist was OP and the way they fixed it was to break the way it works so faster weapons Quick Attacks can beat a fists Quick Attack there by completely breaking the RPS system. Funnily enough Eldar are the only Melee class I can comfortably play any more without having to strain each swing through gritted teeth willing it to connect with its target before I'm downed instantly yet somehow I'm miraculously given enough time to escape intact. The whole situation is just driving me to the point where I just cant bring myself to log in, there's just no joy left in the game. I don't enjoy sitting in the back lines shooting but that's what this game is forcing us to chose if we want to do well.
I'll cast a vote to the melee is near pointless side - checked back in to see the new maps and changes... Yea, I don't want to tolerate it anymore and to avoid a venting my frustrations I'll keep it short. It's not going to make a difference anyway. - Melee is fodder and a bullet sponge. Ground Assault fairs better than its JPA equivalent due to its ability to eat more shots from allies, lag and foes. You have to build for it though, or your just a joke. - Whats the point of load out points if everything is so expensive? The restrictions placed on the player are not engaging or thought provoking. Your often faced with choices where neither option is a appealing and feel gimped either way. - JPA suffers from the second bullet extensively. - I'm not sure if its the connection or design, but trying to land hits is a frustrating venture. Even with the "lock on" mechanic you'll go wailing into walls due the erratic movements of the enemy roll mechanic. Accidentally stunning an ally, unable to land a hit due to a "down" player and random dilly bobs and corners to catch swings to stun you just long enough to eat bolter fire.
Since these last two patches....I notice that more often melee combats results in something similiar to a dog trying to bit his own tail.
